News brief

EU: the Commission’s annual report points to lasting delay in terms of gender equality
mission presented its annual report on equality between men and women. Even though women’s employment rate – 58.3% – is now close to the Lisbon objective – 60% – the...
Italy: record hike in appeal to partial unemployment
rmal partial unemployment of over 500% was recorded in the industry in February compared with the same period in 2008. The increase topped 1.000% in the iron and steel sector. Unions warn about a...
Italy: businesses cannot use fingerprints to control workers’ presence
ric identification systems to check if their employees are present and when they come in and out, except for security purposes. This is what the Italian Monitoring Authority on the protection of...
EU: the 27 Ministers of Labor are working on the social impact of the crisis
uropean Ministers for Employment and Social Affairs, gathered in Brussels for a Council of Ministers, discussed the social consequences and the impact on employment of the crisis. They insisted to...
Bulgaria: new compensation for employees when working time is reduced
bal economic crisis, which appeared to affect more seriously the national economy in the last months, the Bulgarian government has taken a step towards mitigation of the crisis’ effects on...
China: the end of an era for white collars
ars is the focus of this third chapter of our series of reports on “China and unemployment”. In control on the labor market, these employees are forced to lower their wage expectations...
Great Britain: businesses to implement road risk policy at the risk of heavy sanctions in the event of an accident
he new law on health and safety offenses, enforced in January 2009 (see our dispatch No. 090044), businesses which can’t prove that they have a road risk policy incur a fine up to 20.000...
Italy: the government is banking on large infrastructure works to revive the economy
banking on large infrastructure works to revive the economy. The interministerial committee for economic planning, gathered on Friday, march 6, gave around 17.8 billion euro to create about...
Netherlands: impact of the ECJ ruling on sick employees’ paid leave
sor of Labor Law at the Leiden University, thinks that the law on the paid leave of sick employees must be reformed after the ECJ ruling of January 20 which stated that laws which reduced sick...
Spain: unions and employers fail to renew their agreement on collective bargaining for 2009
o renew the interconfederate agreement on collective bargaining (ANC) for 2009. This agreement was easily renewed every year since 2002 to define the general framework of sectoral or company...
Netherlands: jobseekers obliged to accept any job after one year
alizes the measure announced in June 2008 (see our dispatch No. 080594) reforming the unemployment insurance system and forcing all jobseekers to accept any job after one year receiving benefits...
Argentina: business label certifying gender equality on the workplace
inean government launched a pilot program to promote gender equality on the workplace. The quality label will be awarded following several criteria such as staff recruitment policies, promotion...
Italy: controversy at the CGIL on the platform to renew the collective agreement in the food industry
is consulting workers on the separate agreement on the reform of the conventional system (see our dispatch No. 090080), its food federation (Flai-CGIL) agreed with the other two federations, the...
Great Britain: the government questions “one-size-fits-all” approach to equal opportunities
es and Local Government (DCLG) has launched a three-month public consultation to improve opportunities for minority ethnic people. The consultation seeks recommendations, views and commentary on...
Great Britain: code of practice on remuneration policies in banks
he bonuses awarded in banks with high losses, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) proposes a code of practice on remuneration policies for employees. This code is currently subject to...
EU: national courts need to check if rules allowing automatic retirement answer to social policy considerations
rch 5, 2009, the Court of Justice of the European Communities (EJC) on the compatibility of British law, which permits employers to send to automatic retirement workers of 65 or over, with...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
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France: Medef puts forward proposals to improve management quality
On 31 August, Medef, French main employers' organisation, published a practical guide to managerial skills, which it considers to be a driver of economic performance for businesses. Concerned by...
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AI: uneven integration but a global challenge for the world of work
The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in business is profoundly transforming the world of work, and some occupations are now under threat. However, the full extent of its effects remains...
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France: Ministry of Labour unveils plan to accelerate the rollout of AI
On 22 September, the French Ministry of Labour presented a plan named Impulsion IA 2027 aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI by companies and employees. It contains 12 measures applicable from...
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Germany: AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt raises concerns over labour supply and workplace cohesion
The rise of Germany’s far-right AfD, which could soon gain influence over migration policy in Saxony-Anhalt and, following elections on September 20, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well, is...
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Netherlands: towards a ban on housing cost deductions from migrant workers’ wages
The news. On September 10, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Hans Vijlbrief (centre-left) sent a letter to the House of Representatives, stating that he intends to prohibit employers...
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UE: Commission proposes measures to facilitate “fair” worker mobility across the Union
The info. On 15 September, the European Commission adopted a series of measures aimed at encouraging “fair” worker mobility within the EU. It wants to remove the administrative...